Juelz Santana Arrested on Weapons and Drug Charges

Juelz Santana was arrested in New Jersey Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 2), just two weeks after his studio was raided by authorities. Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced late Wednesday that Santana, born Laron James, was busted on four counts of narcotic and weapon offenses. The arrest comes as a result of a 10-month investigation of Santana and his cohorts, conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutorís Office Gang Unit.

According to a press release put out by the Bergen County Prosecutorís Office, Santana is believed to be a member of the Bloods street gang. He is also suspected to have founded the Skull Gang, which is said to be a subset of Santanaís rap crew, The Diplomats.

Following the raid on his New York studio, on January 20, authorities uncovered two loaded 9mm caliber handguns, several boxes of ammunition, and 17 small zip-lock bags of marijuana. The rapperís associate, Toby M. Raynor, was arrested at the scene. Raynor, 24, was busted for selling marijuana to undercover officers.

Despite the seriousness of the matter, Santana remained optimistic about the allegations and the raid. "They always picking on me, that's the best way I could put it," he said during an interview on Chicago radio station Power 92. "But by the graces of God, everything should be OK. I wasn't really caught with anything in my possession. They said they found some things in the studio, which I have no idea about. We'll see how everything pans out, man."